Denver Husband Claimed Wife Shot Herself In Gun-Filled Apartment

DENVER, CO -- More information has been released about Sunday's early-morning homicide in a gun-littered apartment in the 1500 block of South Albion Street. Denver police announced Monday night they had arrested Cain Wilkens, 43, and charged him with first-degree murder of his wife, Clarissa Wilkens, 30.

Denver District Attorney Beth McCann's Office officially charged Wilkens with first-degree murder Jan. 29. McCann's office said the shooting took place a few hours after a birthday party in the apartment.

A police report described how officers entered an apartment building around 3:25 a.m. after an apartment manager said a tenant came into the manager's office screaming that his wife had just killed himself. Police found the body of Clarissa Wilkens in the apartment with a gunshot wound to the back of the head, the arrest affidavit said. A witness told police he heard sounds of doors slamming, a woman screaming "no, no, no" and a man's voice yelling multiple times, "Get back here."

Officers came back to the apartment with a search warrant around 8:25 a.m. the same day and reported that the apartment bedroom showed signs of a scuffle, with a broken picture frame, and toppled laundry basket and fan. Police said the apartment was loaded with firearms. Evidence officers collected:

a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun inside a closed but unlocked safe. The firearm appeared to have blood near the front of the gun barrel, so it was collected as evidence. The detectives collected two unloaded shotguns, an unloaded .22 caliber rifle from inside the safe and an unloaded 40 caliber handgun that was on the floor just outside the safe. The detective also collected a spent 9mm shell casing on the floor to the south of the victim.

Cain Wilkens gave officers a statement, which was redacted from the affidavit. The autopsy of Clarissa Wilkens did not detect wounds indicating a close contact of a gun, typical of suicides, the arrest affidavit reported.

Cain Wilkens came later Sunday to the Denver police department to answer more questions and was arrested and charged with first degree murder. He is being held in the Denver Co. Detention Center without bond.

Image via Denver Sheriff's Dept.